Nightmares
by Darcerin
Summary: Adora begins having graphic nightmares that ultimately lead to her return to Eternia. He-Man & She-Ra fanfic.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's notes: Welcome! Long time fan, first time fanfic writer for He-Man/She-Ra. I hope not to disappoint! I'm already working on chapter two, but I still don't know where my brain is going with this story, so I'm just hanging on for the ride! Won't you join me?_

_~ Darcerin 1/2009  
_

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Nightmares, Chapter 1

By Darcerin

Adora was finishing her ride with her steed, Spirit, through the Evergreen Forest and was heading back to Palace Eternos on Eternia. It had been a beautiful day and Adora had enjoyed the vacation away from battling the Horde; instead finding quiet time for inner reflection and more importantly, bonding time with her estranged family.

_Odd,_ Adora mused as she approached the castle's main gates, _Adam said he'd meet me here about now._

Spirit snorted softly, indicating he didn't like the situation. Adora patted him on the neck. "It's all right, Spirit," she said, not sounding reassured herself. "Adam's either in the kitchen, having a pre-dinner snack, or he's goofing off somewhere."

Stranger still, Adora now noticed, there were no gate guards. Adam not being there was fine, the guards, not so much. Spirit took a step back and whinnied. Adora didn't try to calm him this time. She dismounted and suddenly realized how quiet it was. She put a hand on Spirit's side and without looking at him, said, "Go to the Evergreen Forest and wait for my whistle." Spirit didn't need to be told twice. He reared and turned back the way he'd come.

"For the honor-" Adora lifted her sword above her, "of Grayskull!" Instantly she transformed into the mighty warrior, She-Ra. Without hesitating, she pushed the gates open with her immense strength.

"I think my parents are going to have to invest in better gates if it was that easy for me to get through." She-Ra smiled to herself, but then shook her head. "This is no time for jokes; something serious is going on." She raced to the palace and found any further doors opened without resistance. She changed back into Adora in a normally quiet part of the palace; but it seemed as if the *entire* palace was quiet now.

"Adam? Orko?" Adora walked by Adam's bedroom and knocked on his door. No answer.

"_Maybe he __is__ in the kitchen after all_." Adora thought. "_Hopefully Orko hasn't transported the entire residency of the palace into another dimension, or the front gates will be the last of my problems!_"

In order to get to the kitchen, Adora had to pass the throne room. If her parents were in there, maybe Adam was too, probably getting chastised…

"Mother?" she called out cheerfully, but the word stuck in her throat as she entered. The scene before her was pure horror. The king and queen had been murdered on their thrones; Teela and Man-At-Arms were just in front of them, lying on the floor, weapons in hand. They'd apparently tried to fight the attackers and defend the royal family, only to have lost. Orko was across from them, lying on his back in a pool of his own blood, his hands reaching up toward the ceiling, his eyes wide open.

Adora tried to look away before her eyes saw Adam and Cringer, further on in the room. Cringer's head had been partially severed, blood still dripping from his throat onto the floor. And her twin…Adam was slumped up against the wall in a partial sitting position, run through with his own sword.

Adora's legs could no longer support her and she fell to her knees and cried out a scream she didn't know she had inside her.

* * *

Adora! ADORA!" Bow shook his Rebellion leader fiercely. "Wake up!"

Adora's eyes flew open and she sat up so suddenly, Bow had to back up. "Bow? What happened? Eternia…" She suddenly threw off the thin blanket she's been asleep under, jumped off her cot, ran outside, and vomited into the bushes. Bow cringed as he followed her out.

"I was on guard duty," he offered when she shakily stood up, holding onto a tree trunk for support. "I came running when I heard the screams."

"Is everything all right, dearie?" Madam Razz yawned as she, Broom, and several other rebels came up to the tent.

"Yes, everything's fine. Go back to sleep, everyone." Bow urged. Most of the crowd dispersed back to their own tents, except for Razz and Broom.

Adora waited until it was quiet again. She didn't bother turning around. "No, everything's not all right. It hasn't been for a while."

"Those dreams still?" Madam Razz wasn't really looking for the answer she already had.

"Bow, what time is it?" Adora asked softly.

"Almost dawn."

"Call Glimmer and ask her to take over for me. I'm going home to Eternia for a visit."

"Right now? But the Horde is planning to enslave –"

"Just do it!" Adora snapped as she twirled around. Sensing the fright she'd invoked, she added a weak, "Please."

Bow turned and walked off, muttering something. Normally he didn't mind taking orders from Adora, except when they didn't make sense. While Glimmer was a good substitute, Adora knew the Horde inside and out, and had been a valuable asset to the Rebellion. They could really use her help tomorrow.

"Don't worry, dearie, he'll get over it." Madam Razz said in comfort.

"I'm not worried." Adora's voice was firm. "Bow can handle most things; I would think my orders would be one of them."

Razz could tell Adora was in no mood for conversation that would attempt to talk her out of going. "Are you leaving right now?"

"As soon as I get dressed and contact the Sorceress, yes. I'll be leaving Spirit here. If you need me – or She-Ra – you know how to contact me."

Madam Razz nodded wordlessly, as Adora continued.

"The raid tomorrow should be fairly simple. The troopers will be there to collect taxes, and when the villagers resist, that's when the Rebellion moves in – along with the villagers. We've been drilling for just this opportunity and I know we're ready."

"Be nice if we had She-Ra anyway." Broom said before Razz could stop him.

"There may come a time when She-Ra may not be available anymore," Adora said, in a sort of faraway tone, "so the people must learn to fight for themselves anyway." Adora let go of the tree. "Goodbye Madam, and Broom. Hopefully I won't be gone long."

"Adora?" The Sorceress sounded pleasantly surprised as she communicated through Adora's sword. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Hello, Sorceress." Adora smiled tiredly. "Is everything all right on Eternia?"

"Yes, everything is peaceful here. Even Skeletor has been keeping to himself these days, it appears."

"Well, then, if it's all right, I'd like to come home for a visit."

The Sorceress briefly hesitated, and then said, "I will have Adam meet you here. The portal will be open after he arrives. I shall see you soon." The Sorceress ended the call before Adora could protest. Something was deeply troubling Adora; it was obvious by the dark circles under her eyes, but the Sorceress wasn't sure what it was that was bothering her.

By the time the portal opened in the usual spot in the pasture a mile from Whispering Woods, Adora felt like she could have fallen asleep on her feet, she was so tired. She drifted through the portal and as soon as she arrived in Grayskull, she gave the Sorceress a hug. "Thank you for humoring me," she smiled.

"Hey, doesn't your favorite brother get a hug, too?" Adam joked behind them.

Adora turned with relief and tears in her eyes. He was alive! She raced toward him and suddenly felt her world spin. She reached out for Adam –

Adam caught her before she tumbled to the ground. "Gotcha, Sis." He cradled her in his arms and looked over in concern at the Sorceress. "You were right to call me. I've never seen Adora this tired before."

"I have cast a sleep spell on her. There is a great disturbance within her, Adam, but it is not magical in nature."

"No, that would be too easy." Adam said in a sour tone that was not directed at the Sorceress. "Perhaps she just needs a break from fighting the Horde."

"Perhaps." Sorceress nodded thoughtfully. "Please take good care of her while she's here."

"Right, because the world needs She-Ra."

"No. Because the world needs _Adora_."

End Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This is the revamped version of Chapter 2. If you read the first version, you'll notice a minor change in some dialogue, that while I thought would originally fit, really didn't suit the character it was coming from. There's also some minor grammar edits in here as well. You won't even see them. :)

Thanks to Delora2047 for her help, once again. :) And thank you to everyone who's been reading thus far! Chapter 4 should be up soon.

Darcerin 3/1/09

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Nightmares, Chapter 2

By Darcerin

When Adora awoke, she found herself lying on her side in her heavenly soft bed in her bedroom in the Eternian palace. She rolled over onto her back to stare at the ceiling. The last thing she remembered was seeing Adam and then everything went dark. Had she passed out? Had he brought her back here? He must have. She looked down at herself and the nightgown she was wearing. He certainly hadn't *dressed* her too?! She blushed at the idea - of course, he probably had their mother or one of the chamber maids attend to her.

The bedroom door creaked open just then, and one of the maids poked her head in. When she saw Adora, she exclaimed, "Oh, Princess! We're so glad you're finally awake! Your parents are waiting to speak to you." The maid closed the door again.

_Finally?_ Adora thought, slightly bemused, as she pushed herself into a sitting position. She sighed heavily as she suddenly felt a surge of emotions well up. _No tears, Adora. It was all just dreams, and everyone's fine._

This time, the door burst open at her father's urgency, and as soon as Adora saw her parents, the brave face she struggled to maintain shattered. She held out her arms as her parents ran to her, and started bawling uncontrollably as her mother held her.

* * *

Hours later, after Adora had calmed down and eaten, Adam paid her a visit, Cringer in tow. Adora was still in her pink nightgown and fuchsia dressing gown, standing out on her balcony, overlooking the palace grounds below; but her thoughts were a million miles away. She didn't need to turn around to know it was he. It seemed everyone in the palace had visited her before he had.

"Is that the latest fashion for the Rebellion these days – doesn't seem to look battle-ready," Adam joked as Adora turned to face him. Normally, Adora would have taken up the banter, but today she simply pulled him into a hug. "You have no idea how good it is to see you standing here, alive and well."

"I'm not so sure about the 'well' part." Adam joked again and Adora pulled away in concern.

"You're not well?"

The look on Adora's face forced Adam to drop his comic routine to lighten the mood. "Adora, I'm fine." He gently grasped her arm and led her away from the balcony. Who knew who could be listening in on their conversation? "Listen, I didn't stop by to see you until I knew you'd be a bit calmer. After I saw in you Grayskull two days ago, I knew…"

_Two days? _Adora thought wildly as Adam continued talking, _I've been asleep for two whole days?!_ This meant she'd missed the attack on the Horde tax collectors entirely. Had Glimmer gotten the message in time? Had anyone been hurt, enslaved – killed? Adora closed her eyes. She had to believe their training had worked, that they'd been successful; otherwise…

"Adora?" Adam suddenly sounded alarmed.

Adora opened her eyes slowly, trying to attack what had been nagging at her all day. "You all think I've gone crazy, don't you?"

"Of course not!"

"Then why the steady stream of visitors all day – are they all making sure I'm not going to jump off my balcony?"

"You're being ridiculous, Sis."

"Really?" Adora crossed her arms in front of her. "Then why did you pull me off the balcony just now?"

"There are -" Adam struggled to find polite terms, "a lot of people with big ears, and even bigger mouths. Anything could be heard, misinterpreted, and passed on. The gossip I hear around here *now* is bad enough without adding any more to it."

Adora covered her eyes with one hand, suddenly feeling very tired. "I'm sorry; you're right. Let's sit down." She motioned toward the chairs and table across from her bed.

As Adam sat down, he said, "I really came by to listen to you." Adora leaned back in her chair, and looked at him intently. "I haven't known you for very long, admittedly, but I know you well enough that you usually don't get hysterical at the sight of people."

Adora raised a brow. "Is that gossip?"

"I might have been standing outside the door this morning," Adam pretended to be studying his fingernails.

"Adam!"

"And I might have taken a quick trip to Etheria last night."

At this, Adora's stomach clenched and she sat forward in her chair.

"You can relax; I got to Whispering Woods after the battle. You should be proud of yourself, there were only a few minor injuries and one freed town when I got there."

Adora fell back into her chair with an enormous sigh of relief.

"But Bow, Glimmer, and the rest of your team were deeply worried about you. They told me you'd been having nightmares, and your attention span and patience have been completely worn down."

Adora cringed, "I'll have to apologize when I go back."

"So, talk to me. Tell me what's going on." Adam urged gently.

"D-did you dream about running out of food?"

"Cringer, that's _your_ nighmare," Adam chided his green tiger with a laugh.

Adora smiled, "No, I wish they were only that bad." She leaned down to stroke Cringer on the head. She began speaking of the dark dreams that had plagued her for over a month now. Some were much darker than other, but most causing her to either awaken in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, or to have those same dreams haunt her throughout her work day.

"I've tried everything to make them stop: meditating, talking to someone about them, skipping dinner-"

Adam's eyes narrowed and Cringer looked positively alarmed at the idea of skipping a meal.

"Don't worry, it was only one night," Adora defended herself. "I had a nightmare anyway, on top of an empty stomach. After I realized it wasn't anything in my diet, I went back to eating dinner."

"So if this has been going on for so long, why the sudden urge to come to Eternia?"

Here Adora put her head in her hands, her blond hair falling in front of her. "Because the last one on the night before I arrived here was the worst of them, and I remember every detail about it. It felt real enough to _be_ real for me." She recounted the whole dream to her brother, Adam's eye growing larger with each passing second.

"I won't tell you how you died. Only that it was both horrifying and gruesome. I started screaming and woke up when Bow started shaking me."

Cringer was now shaking so hard by Adora's feet that he was making the table rattle.

"Oh Cringer, I'm sorry." Adora leaned down and scratched him behind both ears.

"I-it's ok, A-Adora. I-it was only a d-dream." Cringer said through chattering teeth.

"I guess I would have done the same thing you did, Sis. I would have wanted to make sure everyone was ok," Adam nodded.

Adora struggled to maintain her composure. "I came home just to reassure myself that everything was fine, that it was just a dream. I left Etheria right before a battle with the Horde. I _never_ do that! What does that say about me and my credibility as Rebellion Leader?" She sounded both exasperated with herself, and bewildered all at once.

"That you're pushing yourself too hard. You're overworked, overstressed and your mind is trying to sort it all out when you sleep."

"By playing out the murders of my entire family? That's reassuring." Adora sulked.

"Look, Adora, the Sorceress could tell something was wrong with you even when you were communicating through the sword. That's why she sent for me. Her fears were only confirmed when you walked through the portal and she saw you in person. You looked like you could have fallen asleep in her arms right there, not to mention you looked like a zombie. She put the sleep spell on you just so you could sleep at all."

"Did I really look that bad?" Adora asked quietly. "I haven't been paying attention, been too busy…" she trailed off.

"You haven't looked into a mirror yet, have you?" Adam asked. "You may not want to."

But Adora was already up and crossing the room to the full length mirror. She gasped when she saw her reflection. Her hair had grown to a length to match She-Ra's, but looked unkempt, and unusually dull. Her face was blotchy, and the dark circles, even after two days of solid rest, were still lining her eyes.

"I-I didn't realize…I had started skipping some morning routines and just plunged myself into work to forget about the previous night. What's happening to me, Adam?" she covered her face with her hands as she began to cry. "Am I losing my mind? I used to be so strong…"

Adam came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Adora, look up again." When she did, he continued speaking. "Look at the woman in front of us. She's determined to beat those who kept her captive under their spells for so long. She's beautiful, she's smart, and she works hard to keep the Rebellion going." He paused, "_and_ she looks better in a dress than her brother."

Adam had finally gotten to her. Her lips parted into a smile. "Thank you, Adam."

"There's the Adora I know." Adam smiled back, as she wiped the last tears away. "Now, if you're up for it, Mother and Father want us to have a quiet meal together as a family in a little while."

Adora turned to her brother. "I think I can do that. I'll go get ready if you'll tell them." She pecked him on the cheek. "Thanks for listening, Brother."

"Anytime, Sis, anytime." Adam smiled, but in the back of his mind, Adora's dream was frightening him very much indeed.

End Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Welcome back, dear readers! A huge thank you goes to fellow He-Man fan Delora2047 for her fantastic efforts in giving me writing style tips. I'll admit I didn't edit Chapter 2 as closely as I should have before I threw it up on here, but I will, hopefully, fix that this weekend. I'm truly enjoying writing this - and probably am about five or six chapters (!!) ahead of this one. I need more time to type it all up! Thank you all for your continued support, it really means a lot to me! ~ Darcerin 2/25/09

* * *

Nightmares

Chapter 3

By Darcerin

Adora bathed in the adjoining luxurious bathroom to her bedroom. When she finished and toweled off, she dressed in a white terrycloth robe hanging on the back of the door for her. She walked back into her bedroom and found someone had put out an outfit for her to wear for the day, a beautiful pale blue and white body suit, similar to Glimmer's, with a short white skirt, with accompanying blue flats on the floor. She wondered how they knew her measurements, but didn't dwell on the thought. If it fit, it fit!

Her usual red and white tunic were nowhere to be found; probably in the laundry room being washed. Adora wrinkled her nose. "It probably needed it, too," she laughed internally. Laundry days on Etheria tended to be when they had any extra water or soap to spare at the end of the week, and with more rebels coming into the camp all the time, both were coming in limited quantities. She and some of the other rebels had resigned themselves to washing clothes in a nearby lake, but that didn't do much beyond putting a definitive _interesting _smell to the clothes.

She dressed and put her hair up in a ponytail. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she realized blue wasn't her favorite color on her, even if it did match her eyes, but it would do for tonight. She made her way down to the small dining area where the royal family had more intimate, private meals together. State functions were held in the larger dining area, or "the arena" as Adam privately joked.

A servant opened the door to the dining room for her, and she realized she was the last to arrive. Her brother and father stood up from the table as she entered.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Adora apologized as the servant closed the door behind her, "I guess I must be if Adam beat me here."

Her father came over and pulled her chair out for her and kissed her on the cheek as she sat down, "Nonsense."

"Being late is a family tradition I started," Adam said proudly, despite the disapproving looks his parents gave him.

"We're so glad you're here," Marlena said quickly, as Randor sat down again next to his wife.

"I'm happy to be here. I've missed you all so much," Adora agreed.

The servants' door opened and the head waiter came in with a bottle of red wine and behind him came the appetizer on a rolling cart. As each course came in, the family conversed over many topics covering both worlds. Marlena, Randor, and Adam told Adora about Eternia and in turn Adora told them about the Rebellion and Etheria.

"It sounds like a lovely place." Marlena sighed wistfully.

"You must visit...when it's free from the Horde."

The room grew quiet and Adora look down at her gold-trimmed dinner plate.

"Tomorrow I'm having the royal tailor stop by for your measurements, Adora," Marlena piped up to quell the silence.

Adora stopped pushing the last of her food around her plate. "For what?"

"For your gown for your return home party next week, of course," Marlena almost seemed amused at Adora's question.

Adora froze. She'd planned to go back to Etheria tomorrow, now that she was certain everything was fine on Eternia. She hadn't planned on staying, and apparently her parents misunderstood that. Randor noticed her expression. "Adora, do you not want a party?"

Adam had to gently step on her foot to snap her back to reality. "I – uh - I had wanted to head back tomorrow," she managed to get out.

For a moment, Adora thought her mother was going to cry, but Marlena straightened up and said, "Your father and I discussed this while you were asleep, and we think its best you stay here for the time being."

Adora balked at the idea that her parents were suddenly in charge of making decisions for her, and looked at Adam, but he looked as surprised as she. "Is this a _royal_ order?"

"No, but I can make it one," Randor said gravely.

"Doesn't Adora get some say in this?" Adam's voice had an edge of panic to it.

"You are not well, Adora," Marlena continued, "if you coming home in Adam's arms in a dead slumber didn't make it clear, your hysteria this morning at the site of us did."

"Now hold on a min –"

Adora cut her brother off. "You don't understand. I've been having nightmares – ones that end up with someone I love kidnapped, hurt, or-" she felt a lump rise in her throat, "dead. The last one before I came back to Eternia-" Adora looked down at the table, and rubbed her left upper arm with her left hand. "I dreamed everyone in the palace had been murdered - you, Adam, Teela, everyone. It was real enough to frighten me, and I don't frighten easily. That's why I came home; to make sure everything was all right."

"Oh, my dear girl," Marlena reached across to her daughter's hand, and Adora gratefully took it.

"The Sorceress put a sleep spell on Adora as soon as she arrived. That's why Adora was asleep for so long. Partly the spell, and partly exhaustion," Adam added.

Randor asked, "Did you have any nightmares while you were asleep here?"

Adora conceded, "No, not that I can remember anyway."

"You see? It's settled," her father nodded in approval.

"What?" Adora was suddenly bewildered. "Nothing is settled!"

"Adora, you haven't given yourself a break since Adam rescued you. You ran right back to Etheria to help the Rebellion and haven't stopped. No one's going to fault you for taking a break," Randor said calmly.

"The _Horde_ isn't taking breaks! I'm needed there!" Adora was clearly angry now. "I'm the Rebellion Leader, the one who knows the Horde inside and out. If they find out I'm gone, everyone on Etheria who ever thought freedom could ever be a reality can kiss that dream goodbye!"

"But you're no good to anyone if you're not at your best to begin with," Marlena said quietly.

Adora tossed her napkin on the table, finding herself stonewalled. "Excuse me, I'm retiring for the night," and stormed out without a glance back.

Marlena and Randor sat there, stone-faced. Adam was flabbergasted. He'd _never_ gone up against his parents – not that he'd really have any reason to – nothing like this, at least.

"I'll, um, I'll just go." Adam quickly scooted out of the uncomfortable silence, and went to find Adora - or a nice place to hang out until things cooled down, whichever came first.

Adora was in the royal wing where all their bedrooms were before Adam managed to catch up to her. "Adora!"

Adora whirled around, daggers shooting out of her eyes. "What was your real purpose for going to Etheria," Adora asked suspiciously, "to tell everyone that I wasn't coming back?"

"Hey, don't start attacking me! I'm on your side here; and the answer to your question is _of course not_. I told you earlier why I went to Etheria – I was very concerned about you. Mother and Father are as well, but they're not sure how to deal with you."

"Then they need to let me go."

"That's not what I meant. You're their daughter, but you're also a complete stranger to them. You can't expect to waltz into their lives and expect them to know what you want, and then waltz out again when you feel like it. Heck, you're almost a complete stranger to me, and I've seen you a lot more than our parents."

That startled Adora; she thought she and Adam had a much closer relationship than he obviously did. "But –"

"Adora, while I don't agree with Mother and Father's methods, especially springing a party on us like this, on some level, they're right. For your own mental health, you need a break. Otherwise, someone else will pay the price for your mistake in battle."

Adora shivered. Hordak had told her something similar long ago. And to bet Swifty's, Bow's, or anyone's life on her continued leadership in the shape she was in, would be unforgivable. She sank against the wall in defeat. "All right," she said quietly, "two weeks. I can't promise anything beyond that. Good night, Adam." She opened her door, let herself in, and shut it behind her, leaving Adam to wonder if he'd just won a small victory, or earned a defeat in his relationship with his sister.

Adora changed into the nightgown waiting on her bed. Her bed had been made and turned down for her as well. She wondered if there were elves living in the castle, running around preparing these small arrangements for her while her back was turned. She felt slightly guilty for having this kind of luxury, when everyone back in Whispering Woods was sleeping on uncomfortable cots.

One of the maids knocked on the door and came in, "Begging your pardon, Princess, but would you care for a cup of tea?"

Adora smiled, "No, Adrina, not tonight, but thank you."

Adrina bowed and left, closing the door behind her.

Adora grabbed her brush and pulled her ponytail out. Waves of long blond locks fell down past her shoulders. As she stood in front of the mirror and brushed, she considered how best to apologize to her parents tomorrow. Adam was right; they barely knew her and she them. She had disrespected the Crown of Eternia by arguing with them. They were each trying to understand where the other was coming from with their points of view. If it hadn't been for the familial aspect to it, it could easily have been a diplomatic dispute spinning wildly out of control.

She sighed and put the brush down on the nightstand next to her bed, and crawled into the soft, warm haven, pulling the covers over her. "I'll work it out with them tomorrow," she said out loud with a giant yawn, "I'm too spoiled here. Spoiled princesses don't get bad dreams." The logic didn't quite fit, but it suited Adora's tired mind just fine.

End Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I'm writing it! This story originally began as one little idea about Adora having a nightmare – and it has exploded into a massive amount of fanfic in only several weeks' time. I am amazed that after years of languishing on dead ends in many, many of my other stories, this one continued to keep me going day after day, writing more and more! I have been using a legal pad to write down the entire story, and when the first one filled up, I moved onto another – and that's partially filled now! I write when I can – and that means on the bus to work, during my lunch break, and on the bus ride home, as well as writing at home after work, or when I have a spare moment on the weekends!

It truly means a lot to me that so many people have read this story, and have been following its progress. I'd love to hear feedback of any type, so keep writing in!

~ Darcerin 3/1/09

* * *

Nightmares, Chapter 4

By Darcerin

The next day, Adora took a walk through the Fertile Plains, and found herself climbing up a large grassy hill late in the day. When she got to the top, she found an old, house in front of her that was apparently abandoned. Before going inside to investigate, she took a breather and drank in the scene before her. To the west, was Castle Grayskull, and to the east was the sprawling city of Eternos, and above the city, on a mountainous plain, was the Eternian palace. And she had argued with her parents about staying? The view was breathtaking. No Horde Fright-Zone, no cities in flames or under siege, just peace and every day normalcy.

Could Etheria really be like this as well one day? Adora nodded to herself. Yes, it could be. When she returned home, she was going to start training her troops even harder. It was time to start taking the fight to the Horde.

Satisfied, she walked into the house for a look around. She pushed open the door and realized it was more of a shack, consisting of only one room. She walked in, and found there was a crumbling fireplace to her right and a table and chairs to her left. The shack had obviously not been used in some time, for there were cobwebs floating freely in the slight breeze coming through the picture window opposite the door. Dust danced on the rays of the waning sunlight, and there was water damage to the ceiling, probably from the leaky roof. The wood floor creaked loudly as Adora stepped over to the window.

"What a magnificent view!" Adora leaned against the windowsill. From here, she got a magnificent view of the Evergreen Forest beyond Grayskull, spread out under the setting sun.

"Welcome home, Princess," a familiar male voice snarled as the door slammed shut. Adora whirled around to see Hordak, Shadow Weaver, and Catra standing in front of the fireplace.

"Hordak!" Adora gasped, caught completely off-guard, "Stay away from me!"

"Oh, but Adora," Hordak's voice ringing of a fake simper, "I was hoping you'd come back to the Horde."

"And I'd hoped I'd convinced you _that's_ never going to happen." Adora grabbed at her back, but her sword wasn't there. Adora's eyes widened in panic as she glanced over her shoulder.

"Look for this?" Hordak's voice made her look back at the trio. Shadow Weaver held her honor sword, and passed it to Catra. As Adora watched in horror, Catra held it over a raised knee and broke the blade in half.

Hordak stepped forward, and Adora felt frozen into place. "Oh well," Hordak shrugged. He then held out his gun arm to her. "Catra makes a better Force Captain anyway.

BAM!

Adora actually fell out of bed in terror as the thunder crashed over the castle. She was breathing and shaking hard as she sat up on the rug, attempting to comprehend the last few minutes. She was in the palace, Hordak wasn't here, and she hadn't been shot. She crawled back into bed and lay on her back, hugging one of her pillows. It had only been a dream, although she had a hard time convincing herself. She'd _felt_ his cannon at her chest, she'd felt the heat from it as it powered up to give the killing blow. On some level, that _was_ real. Unbidden, tears sprang to her eyes, and ran down the sides of her face. More thunder crashed and she squeezed her eyes shut, and held the pillow even tighter.

Were these prophetic dreams of some sort? Was this to be her future, then - the loss of her family, her power, and ultimately, her life? Would she in some way be responsible for the downfall of her family's empire?

_Ok, Adora, gather your last shreds of sanity together here,_ she chided herself, and wiped away her tears. _Now you're talking crazy._ _You're just going to have to take control in these dreams and override the negatives with some positive actions._

Her pep talk did little to soothe her agitated soul. She lay awake in her bed, listening to the storm for the rest of the night.

* * *

At dawn, the storm finally moved out, and Adora rose and showered. She felt sticky and uncomfortable, and the humidity from the storm hadn't helped at all. The cool water felt wonderful against her skin. She was still tired, but it was too late to go back to sleep, and possibly miss breakfast. Her parents may have understood what she was going through, but after last night, it was probably best not to push things. And she decided even though she was on Eternia, she wasn't going to sit around and let the palace crew baby and spoil her – otherwise she'd never go back to Etheria!

Adrina was opening the shades to the balcony and windows when Adora came out of the bathroom in her robe.

"Good morning, Princess." Adrina bowed and smiled. "It has been decided that I would be your personal aide whenever you are here visiting."

Oh, Ancients, it had started already!

Adora smiled kindly, "Look, it's really sweet of you, Adrina, but I don't need an aide."

"But the Queen asked me yesterday before dinner," Adrina suddenly looked nervous, "she said you'd object, but Prince Adam has one –"

Adora raised an eyebrow in surprise, "He does, does he?"

"Yes'm."

"Well, then, I guess I have no choice than to have a better one than he!" Adora cried gaily, "All right, what's first?"

Adrina looked relieved. "I believe dressing is in order, and then we'll do your hair, then breakfast. Will you eat here, or in the dining room?"

"Will the rest of the family be up?"

"I doubt it. I think your father made it a royal order not to be disturbed until at least ten on weekends."

Adora giggled, but secretly, it was a relief not to have to deal with the rest of her family this early. She had plans for them later.

"Now, your outfit for the day..." Adrina dashed into the closet and emerged with a green pantsuit with gold taffeta sleeves. "I saw it hanging up last night when I was putting out your nightwear. I thought it would look lovely on you."

Adora bit her tongue, hard. Who was her tailor and why did he hate her?

Adrina must have seen the look on Adora's face. "Princess, you don't approve?"

Adora shook her head, and no longer able to control herself, doubled over laughing. "No, Adrina, I don't. That has to be one of ugliest outfits on Eternia!"

Adrina looked slightly hurt and miffed at the Princess' reaction. "Well then, come into the closet and pick out your own outfit."

Curiousity piqued, Adora looked into the closet. To her complete surprise, the walk-in closet was full of outfits of every color, and on the floor underneath, were boots and shoes of similar shades.

Your mother had them all made for you after you went back to Etheria," Adrina said softly behind Adora.

Adora walked into the closet. "All for me," she whispered in wonderment.

* * *

Adam yawned as his aide, Paul, pushed him out of the bedroom with Cringer. "Get to breakfast before your father sees you out in your robe and slippers, or I'll never hear the end of it."

"Yeah, yeah," Adam muttered grumpily. Oh, of course he couldn't have breakfast in bed, could he? Cook would have a fit, because he didn't give him a day's notice. And if Cook had a fit, Chef Allen would be in a bad mood – and it would be a massive domino effect, eventually coming back to him, usually in the form of a stern lecture from his father about upsetting the staff.

"I'm not all that hungry this morning, Adam," Cringer whined.

Adam patted Cringer's head sympathetically. "I know you're not feeling well, buddy, but Paul won't let us back into the bedroom until the bed is made and the room's cleaned."

Cringer whined again, but followed Adam into the breakfast nook off of the kitchen. Large china bowls with steam lids sat on the table, full of delicious breakfast fare. Teela was already there with a full plate, pouring tea for herself, and dressed for the day.

"Morning, Adam," she was already giving him a critical eye. "I see you've dressed for the occasion," she said as he sat down and grabbed a roll from the bread basket in front of him.

"You could have come to breakfast in your pj's too."

"As if my father, let alone _your_ father would let me get away with that! Captain of the Guard running around in her nightgown – I'd be the laughing stock around here!"

"It would be a change from me being one," Adam smirked as he took a bite of his roll.

"Oh, I don't know, I think we should make it a royal order to run around in our pj's once in awhile," a voice said from the door.

Adam and Teela looked over at the door to find Adora standing there in a brown tunic with a white shirt. "Morning, Sis," Adam said between chews.

"Good morning," Adora smiled, and noticed Cringer lying next to the table, looking rather despondent. "Cringer, you're not eating?" She knelt down to him, and Cringer gave a small whine in reply.

"That thunderstorm last night really upset him," Adam explained, "I've tried to tell him that the storm can't hurt him, but…"

"Aw, poor thing." Adora reached down and lifted Cringer's head so he was looking right at her. "The storm frightened me, too," she said in sympathetic tones.

Warning bells went off in Adam's head over that statement. _I don't frighten easily,_ she'd previously said, which meant she'd had another nightmare. He couldn't ask her about it here, though, not in front of Teela.

Adora stood and took her place at the table. "That was a pretty violent storm last night. You think there was a lot of damage, Teela?" She helped herself to some scrambled eggs.

Teela nodded. "It was really wild. I'm waiting to see if there's widespread damage and if any major repairs need to be done. And there it is." A guard came through the door and bowed low. Teela stood up and walked out to talk to him.

Moments later, she opened the door and leaned in. "Adam, there's a lot of damage to Eternos City. Can you tell my father to contact He-Man and meet us there?"

"Sure thing, Teela."

"And Adam," Teela's voice had a warning tone in it, "_don't_ eat my breakfast. I'll be back for it later," she shut the door.

Adam sighed and grabbed Teela's plate, heaping her food on top of his.

Adora looked at her brother wide-eyed. "But Teela –"

"It's code between us, Adora. I eat her leftovers, if she's called away, and then I cook a fabulous dinner for her later. It stems back from the first time I did it – except that she really meant for me not to touch it."

Adora laughed. "How old were you then?"

"Fifteen; and no culinary skills to boot."

"That must have been an interesting meal," Adora said in amusement.

Adam chuckled, "Oh, it was. It burned so badly that we wound up making ice cream sundaes instead. That is, after we put out the fire."

Adora laughed with her brother, as Man-At-Arms stepped into the breakfast nook and locked the door behind him. "Teela just left with the cleanup crew and the medics, and your parents have been apprised of the situation."

Adam took his cue. "Battle Cat is taking a sick day, so I could use your help out there. Up for it?" he asked Adora.

"Absolutely!" Adora stood up and grasped for her sword handle; relief flooded through her as it materialized in her hand.

"For the honor-"

"By the power-"

"Of Grayskull!"

No matter how many times Duncan saw it, the transformation always amazed him. The two of them doing it simultaneously made it even more spectacular.

"I have the power!"

"I am She-Ra!"

"The Wind Raider's charged and ready," Duncan said as he unlocked the door again.

"I'm right behind you. Go on," she urged He-Man.

"Feel better, Cringer," He-Man turned and ran out with Man-At-Arms.

She-Ra knelt down on the plush carpet next to Cringer and lightly touched him on the back. She couldn't do anything for the poor creature's nerves, but she could for his upset stomach.

"For the honor of Grayskull," she whispered emphatically, as she lightly touched his side. Warmth flooded through her fingertips and surrounded Cringer. When she felt him lift his head, she knew he was feeling better. She grabbed the half plate of food she'd left on the table. "Just don't eat too fast," she warned laughingly as Cringer gratefully licked her face. She stood up with a final pat on Cringer's head and headed off to catch up with He-Man and Man-At-Arms.

End Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Not much to say here, except that this is chapter was a lot of fun to write, and that a lot of it did NOT appear in my first draft. Most of this came from my imagination as I was typing it up, because the first draft seemed so…bland. I've edited it three or four times now, so I'm going to stop and post it before I edit myself crazy. Thanks again to everyone who reads, reviews, and comments. It means a lot to me and my ego. :)

~ Darcerin 3/7/09

* * *

Nightmares, Chapter 5

By Darcerin

The city of Eternos hadn't seen this kind of storm damage in a long time. Nestled in a valley between two mountains, it was usually protected from most of the damage caused by storms year-round, save for some of the more fierce ones, like last night's. The troops were scouting the city already, surveying the worst hit spots, and seeing where He-Man would be needed first.

He-Man was called away almost as soon as the Raider landed. She-Ra intended to follow, but Duncan stopped her. "He-Man told me your sword can change into anything?"

"Almost anything," She-Ra corrected him.

"Good. A few trees fell on some houses near the woods to the east."

She-Ra looked at him wide-eyed with concern for the people inside those houses, and he quickly followed up with, "Thankfully, there were only minor injuries. However, we're going to need your strength, and a saw."

She-Ra turned her sword into a chainsaw and worked on the giant trunks for the majority of the morning and afternoon. She sawed them into pieces that normal people could handle for whatever purposes they could be used for, putting them in a pile next to the last house on the end. At one point, she turned to check her progress, and caught sight of a house up on a high slope that sent a cold chill down her spine. She quickly turned away, but the thought of the house would not leave her.

The major debris was cleared by mid-afternoon, and people began picking through the rubble for possessions they could salvage. She-Ra was hailed by many of the city's inhabitants and received many hugs from the children, especially from one she'd found the teddy bear of, and had clung to She-Ra until her mother gently pried her off apologetically.

"Ready to go home?" He-Man came up to her.

"In a few minutes," she answered her brother, and nodded to the house up on the hill. "First, I want to check that house out."

Puzzled, He-Man followed her up the hill.

They reached the top in moments, and She-Ra turned around to see the view. The landscape below was totally different, but she had _definitely_ been on this hill before. Another chill made her visibly shake.

"What is it?" He-Man asked as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"I was here before," She-Ra answered, as if in a trance, "last night, in my dream."

"But you've never been to Eternos City before."

"Tell that to the dream." She turned back to the house. "Something…happened here, something very bad."

_I hate cryptic messages_, He-Man thought, but he kept his mouth shut, in case she was going to say more.

She-Ra pushed the door, and it opened in for her with a familiar squeak. The energy she'd felt since this morning emanating from the house resonated around her tightly, and she crossed her arms in front of her, as if she were suddenly cold. The weathered floorboards creaked under her weight.

"This doesn't look like a very safe structure; I'm surprised it survived the storm."

"It was waiting for me," She-Ra said knowingly.

He-Man's eyes widened, "_What_?"

There was the fireplace to the left, just like in the dream, and the wooden dilapidated table and chairs…

"Can't you feel it?" she whispered. "It's been calling to me, asking me to come."

He-Man was more than concerned now. "This isn't one of your powers, Sis. What's going on?"

She-Ra didn't answer, but went over to the picture window, long devoid of any glass. The view from there overlooked a large farm field below, the crops beaten by the storm. She started to reach out to touch the frame, and hesitated. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to touch the wood, and shuddered, throwing her head back and taking in a great breath. "There was a family here. A mother, a father…a little boy. The parents loved each other very much, and they loved their little boy more than anything in the whole world. The father was a soldier in King Randor's army, and fought against the Horde. He came home after the war…but he was not himself afterwards. The days of war had changed him, and he couldn't cope. He took to the drink on a daily basis, beating his wife and child for inconsequential matters. The wife finally took it upon herself to leave him, and take the boy with her, but he found out, and stabbed her to death in a drunken rage in the middle of the night. Realizing what he'd done, and knowing the village would not let him get away with it, he killed himself as well."

He-Man could barely speak, "The little boy?"

"Right here." A male voice came from the doorway, and the door slammed shut behind him, breaking She-Ra's trance-like concentration. The heroes both turned to see a brown-haired man who looked much older than his actual age of 25. "I'm sorry, I saw you come up here. No one has come up here since….the city thinks this place is a bad omen, and everyone has been warned not to visit."

"Brendan." She-Ra simply said.

Brendan nodded. "How do you know my name? How do you know about this place, about my parents?"

"The house told me everything," She-Ra answered simply. "It needed to tell someone the truth about what happened that night."

"The _official_ story," Brendan spat with contempt in his voice, "going around town is that my mother was practicing witchcraft, and my father wouldn't allow it, so he killed her to protect me. Then she rose from the dead using her own spell and killed him, and to this day haunts the house. The city just could not fathom that one of Randor's mighty heroes of the Horde war went crazy and killed his wife, and then himself, so they concocted that ridiculous story."

"Of course; they wouldn't believe the word of a five-year-old." She-Ra bowed her head sadly.

He-Man's eyes lit up with realization. "You witnessed it," he said softly.

Brendan nodded. "I relive that night every day of my life. If my mother is haunting anything, it is my memories."

She-Ra put a hand on Brendan's shoulder, and locked gazes with him. "I only wish I'd been there to see you grow up. I know you've had a hard life without me or your poor father around. You have made me proud of your accomplishments, my son."

Both Brendan and He-Man's eyes widened in shock, "What?" Brendan managed to say.

"Live in peace, knowing we will see each other again."

It was then that the house began to creak loudly, in a more disturbing manner than He-Man liked. "I think we should leave. _Now_."

Brendan broke his stare, and in fright, started to back toward the door.

She-Ra shook her head, and looked up at the ceiling, her eyes widening in horror. "Everyone, out, now!"

Just as She-Ra, the last to leave, made it outside, the house gave a great groan, and inexplicably collapsed, the roof caving and the walls falling after it.

As the three of them came down the hill, the citizens who'd witnessed the house falling, cheered He-Man and She-Ra, thinking they'd brought down that house of ill they feared so much.

"You have spared us from a house full of evil. Thank you!" the mayor cried.

"That house wasn't evil," She-Ra shook her head, tears filling her eyes, to the surprise of the mayor and those around her, "it was full of sorrow, for the family it loved so much and lost."

* * *

Adam and Adora arrived back at the palace an hour later, leaving Man-at-Arms and Teela to oversee the rest of the clean-up. They would be along later, hopefully by dinnertime. Obviously upset by the events of the afternoon, Adora had said nothing on the ride home, and Adam didn't push her to talk.

"Princess Adora, where have you been?" Adrina cried in frustration as the twins walked into the main hall. "I have been all over the palace twice looking for you! You're filthy, and…" Adrina sniffed conspicuously, "you smell awful!"

"Oh, I took Adora fishing and she fell in trying to reel in a big one!" Adam stepped in quickly so his sister wouldn't have to answer.

Adrina looked unconvinced, "You look like you've been rolling in the dirt," she pointed to a dirt smudge on Adora's cheek. "Come on, if you want an audience with your parents, you're going to have to _look_ dignified."

"See ya later, Sis!" Adam chuckled as Adora was dragged away.

"Apparently it really _does_ run in the family. I thought Paul had it bad with Prince Adam, but the responsible twin is just as bad!" Adrina could be heard saying on the way back to Adora's quarters.

Adora quickly showered for the second time that day, and jumped into a simple white knee-length dress with short sleeves and a gold belt. She would have done anything for a nice, long, hot soak in the tub, and some time to herself to mull over the day's events, but there was no time. Her parents were in the throne room receiving visitors before dinner, and they wouldn't be there for much longer. They had no idea she was coming in, but that was the whole idea.

Adora so far enjoyed having Adrina around, even when she was playing Mother Hen and scolding her, but she balked at the idea of anyone physically dressing her. That was taking spoiled to the entirely new level of lazy!

She arrived at the doors to the throne room as the second to last visitor, a petitioner from a city on the edge of the Sands of Time seeking funding for a campaign to search for new water supplies hidden in the desert. Surely there had to be _some_ water there with the numerous ruins discoveries out there? Randor rubbed his beard thoughtfully. The idea had merit, but he told the petitioner to give him a week to think about it anyway. The petitioner thanked him, bowed, and left.

The guard at the door announced her, "Our final visitor hails from the planet Etheria." At this, Randor and Marlena straightened up. "Ambassador Adora, from the Kingdom of Bright Moon!"

Adora walked in as "officially" as she could, and dropped to one knee in front of her parents, her head bowed, "The Ambassador of Etheria wishes to apologize for her outrageous and rude behavior yesterday toward the King and Queen of Eternia. It was completely wrong not to consider your point of view before lashing out, and I assure you, it will not happen again."

Randor, attempting to take this in normal stride, and pretend this wasn't his daughter in front of him, replied, "Well, uh, _Ambassador_, I understand that you are under a great deal of stress with the ongoing war with the Horde, so I think Marlena and I can forgive you," he winked at his wife.

Internally, Adora breathed a sigh of relief, and dared to stop looking at carpet and up at her parents.

"And I think negotiations can continue as planned?" Marlena asked in a hopeful voice.

"I believe so, perhaps for a full two weeks with a small celebration at its conclusion as originally suggested." Adora answered with a smile.

Randor smiled broadly. "Excellent! This concludes our meeting for the day, so we will see you at dinner, Ambassador Adora."

"Thank you, Your Majesties." Adora stood up, bowed, and walked back the way she'd arrived. She knew there would be no public displays of affection in the throne room, but hopefully hugs at dinner.

Adora walked back down to her room, and saw Adam standing in front of her door, resting one leg against it, admiring his nails. "Apologies around here usually don't come with that much flair, but I think Mother and Father liked it," he flashed a grin. "I'm going to have to do that the next time I goof up, which will probably be in the next hour or so."

Adora smiled. "I was going to go to them privately, but by the time I'd gotten cleaned up, they were already in the throne room. If I hadn't gone to them then, I probably wouldn't have seen them until dinner, and that would have been…awkward," she answered as they started walking down the hall toward the dining room.

"Mhm, agreed," Adam nodded, "it might have turned into a royal food fight. We haven't had one of those since Teela and I were kids."

Adora chuckled, "I can only imagine the mischief you and Teela could get into."

"Oh, I think I could give you some idea." King Randor came up behind the twins and clapped them on the shoulder. Adam groaned audibly. "And I'm sure Man-At-Arms has even more stories. He and Teela will be joining us for dinner as soon as they clean themselves up."

"Ancients, save me!" Adam's chagrin made Adora giggle.

"Did they finish cleaning up Eternos City?" Adora asked. "Teela said there was a lot of damage to it before she left breakfast this morning."

Randor nodded, "Yes, and it's mainly thanks to He-Man and his friend, She-Ra. Without their help, our troops would still be out there right now cleaning up. I wish they would have come back to the palace, I wanted to thank them personally for all their hard work."

"I'm sure they know, Father." Adam winked at Adora, "I doubt they would have helped an ungrateful king."

"What about people who lost their homes?"

Immediately, Adora regretted asking, as Randor looked at his daughter curiously, "How did you know houses were lost?"

Adam's glare forced her quick-thinking to come into action. "Look at the damage around the palace. I saw that tree down in the courtyard when Adam and I were coming back from fishing. You can't tell me homes weren't damaged if wind knocked down that one."

Randor sighed sadly, "I proposed to your mother under that tree. She loved sitting under when it bloomed in the spring."

Adora cringed. _Foot, meet mouth. _ _Nice going, Adora, make your father upset all over again_, she chided herself. She quickly piped up, "Maybe we can plant a new one when the debris is cleared."

"Perhaps," he answered her, not sounding particularly enthused with the idea at the moment. "But to answer your question, the ones that lost homes are staying with neighbors until new homes can be built for them. I'm going out with a group of contractors and surveyors tomorrow morning to start work on them."

Adora sighed internally with relief as they entered the dining room. The people were re-homed temporarily by their good neighbors, and Adam's secret and hers was safe, still. She realized she was going to have to be much more careful on Eternia about revealing her whereabouts when She-Ra was on the scene.

By the time dinner was over, the table was fully engulfed in mirth, and Adora soon forgot about the day's troubles.

"And then, Cringer dove into the pile, thinking it was a good place to hide!" Man-At-Arms chortled.

The table burst into more laughter. "Feathers _everywhere_." Queen Marlena added, "My best feather down pillows and Cringer was covered in them!"

The image of cub Cringer covered in white feathers sent Adora into gales of laughter.

"Then _we_ had to pick them up." Adam said to Teela. "What did that take? Weeks?"

"Heavens, a month, at least. I think we _still_ have some flitting about here," Teela answered.

"Maybe we should re-create the scene," Adora laughed.

"Only if you're willing to clean up the mess!" Adam and Teela said together.

"It's so good to see you smiling, Adora," Randor said, smiling himself, "it makes me a very happy father."

"I agree. I'm glad you've decided to stay for a while. Are you finding everything to your comfort?" Marlena asked.

"Yes, and having Adrina help me out with various duties is a big plus. You're spoiling me far too much."

"I hardly think having a personal attendant while you're here is spoiling," Marlena answered in amusement.

"Just don't go back to Etheria with a swelled head; they'll just kick you right back here!" Adam laughed.

Adora's thoughts dwelled momentarily back to Etheria. Was everyone all right? Hopefully Hordak hadn't managed to organize a retaliation attack for the Rebellion freeing another town. But then, someone would have contacted her by now. There were evacuation plans, assault plans, and even magic plans in place for any given situation Adora had been able to think of that Hordak would have ever been able to conjure up. They could handle two weeks with her and She-Ra gone, right?

"The tailor was delayed by the storm, so he'll be here tomorrow, Adora," Marlena said, "Adora?"

"Hmm?" Adora was brought back to Eternia, "Oh, that's wonderful."

"How wonderful is it to be standing on a box in front of a mirror for hours while a sadistic man pokes you with pins?" Teela huffed.

"Oh, I didn't tell you, Teela? You're getting fitted as well," the Queen smiled sweetly.

Teela opened her mouth, but quickly shut it at her father's stern look. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Ah, the price of beauty," Adam grinned devilishly at Teela, "And for the Captain of the Guard, that's one expensive purchase."

Teela's eyes widened and she was about to snap out a retort, but Adora, whom she was sitting next to, quickly grabbed her hand, and squeezed.

_Two can play this game, Brother dearest, _Adora thought. "Isn't it time Adam got some new formal wear, too?"

Teela took up the slack immediately, "Yes, I think you're right, Adora. Paul said he saw _giant_ moth holes in the last set he was wearing."

This time it was Adam's turn to look shocked. The girls just grinned at him in response.

"Adam you're going to run the Eternian treasury into a depression the way you go through clothes," his father sighed. "Very well, sign him up for new formals as well."

Teela and Adora squeezed each others' hands under the table in victory and continued smiling at Adam.

Adam put his head in his hands. "Women are nothing but trouble."

"Don't tell me, Son, I married one." Randor said as Marlena gave him a mock glare.

"Well, I certainly had to lower my standards, _didn't I_?" Marlena's tone sounded harsh, enough to have Adora shoot Adam a look of distress across the table. Adam simply just sat back in his chair and smiled.

"And you've never been happier since you did, my dear," Randor said as he dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. The head waiter came in then with a rolling cart full of desserts, and began clearing the table. "And neither have I."

"Awww," Teela and Adora cooed. Adam just shook his head in exasperation.

"Mush," he muttered, "I'm never getting married."

"Wise boy, Adam." Duncan said gruffly. "As you say, nothing but trouble."

"Oh, I don't know, Princess Roberta came pretty close to winning your heart." Teela pointed out.

"Teela, I was seven, with a broken leg! I was her captive audience when you weren't playing with her!"

"You were such a cute couple!" Marlena chimed in, "I believe I still have the pictures." The rest of the table laughed at Adam's moan of anguish.

As the laughter died down, Adora said, "Wait, wait, you broke your leg when you were seven? So did I!"

The table grew quiet at the revelation. "When?" Marlena asked.

"Summer." Adora answered. Adam nodded in agreement.

"Which leg?" Randor asked.

"Right leg," both twins answered.

"How?" Marlena asked quietly.

Adora and Adam looked at each other. Even for being twins, this was a little disturbing.

"Horseback –"

"riding." Adam finished. "The horse got spooked, ran, and bucked me. I'd forgotten all about that."

Teela didn't seem to take any notice at the eerie similarities in the twins' story, and continued on. "Well, at least you got a summer girlfriend out of it. You'd think the way Roberta carried on by the time she left, that you two were married."

"We should invite her to the ball; I wonder what she's doing now?" Marlena mused.

"She's married, has six kids, and isn't the least bit interested in coming," Adam said immediately.

Randor raised an eyebrow as he ate his slice of cake. "Wasn't Roberta your age?"

"Yes," Adam said meekly.

"So how could she have six children by now?"

"She got an early start?" Adam offered weakly.

"Really Adam, spreading lies about other royalty is downright absurd and irresponsible of a future king," Randor scolded his son, "besides I heard she had eight," he winked.

"Adora, what did you get to do after you broke your leg?" Teela asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," Adora said sharply, "excuse me." She stood up from the table and left the dining room.

"Uh oh," Adam rose to follow his sister.

Teela looked down at the table, feeling hurt and confused. "I guess I said something to offend her."

Marlena stopped Adam from leaving as she got up herself. "Let her go. I think it's _my_ turn now."

End Chapter 5


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: I didn't think I'd have time to post a new chapter this weekend, due to my birthday weekend full of fun, but I managed to sneak it in between activities. _

_99% of this story is NOT in my first draft, and I was surprised at how strong (and long!) this chapter was, just coming from my head on the fly, as I was typing it up. I'm very happy with the result, and hope you will be too.__ Happy reading!_

_

* * *

_

Nightmares, Chapter 6

By Darcerin

The memories had come back to Adora in a sudden flood after she and Adam had realized they'd broken their legs at the same time, the same way, at the same age. The only exception was that they had been on completely different planets. None of that revelation had been a coincidence, and it was something else for Adora to ponder about later. However, she doubted Adam had received the same treatment she had afterwards.

"Adora, may I come in?" Marlena peeked in through the ajar door. Adora was sitting on her bed, her knees bent up against her chest, her arms wrapped around her knees. Adora simply nodded at her mother.

"I had to leave," Adora's voice was hollow, "I wasn't going to be able to contain myself in the dining room."

"Dear, what happened?" Marlena's voice was full of worry as she sat down next to Adora, and pushed some blonde wisps away from her face.

"I don't know that it's something you want to hear." Adora couldn't look directly at her mother as she said this.

"Yes, it is. I'm your mother," Marlena pulled her daughter's chin up so that their eyes would meet. "You can tell me _anything_." Marlena voice was firm as she pulled one of Adora's hands into her own. "I'm right here; please tell me."

* * *

Seven-year-old Adora hit the ground so hard she had the wind knocked out of her as she watched her steed gallop off. The blue horse with the dark mane had stepped on a branch and broken it in two pieces, the noise spooking her so badly that she'd run for about a mile afterwards, before bucking Adora, and fleeing further into the forest in sheer terror.

"You stupid animal!" Adora shouted when she could speak again, but immediately regretted it. It was her own fault for taking the most nervous horse in the Horde stables out for a ride, and it was her own fault for taking a path she'd never gone down before. She'd been warned not to stray too far from the Fright Zone and now she was probably lost.

She scooted to a tree she'd fallen next to, and tried to regain her composure and her breath. Her right leg was throbbing painfully; hopefully it was only a minor injury. Her little red pantsuit that her nanny, Chakra, had made for her was filthy. She dug her fingers into the mossy dirt, and closed her eyes, attempting to keep herself from panicking. She would just rest for now; perhaps the pain in her leg would go away.

About an hour later, as the sun began to shine the last rays of the day, the pain had not subsided, and Adora knew it was time to find her way back to the Fright Zone, pain or not. If she was late or missed dinner entirely, there was going to be hell to pay. Hordak didn't like her missing meals – he told her needed her nice and strong if she was going to be in his army one day.

She attempted to stand, and found her left leg cooperative. Her right leg, however, made her scream out in pain and she fell down, catching herself with her hands, her hair falling over her face. Tears unbidden streamed down her cheeks, and she knew now this was no mere twisted ankle, and could no longer rely on herself to get home. She was going to have to call back for help, something she'd be told never to do unless it was a real emergency. Well, this counted, right?

She backed up to the tree again, and touched the communicator button on her wrist, which, thankfully, looked like it hadn't been damaged in the fall. "Adora to Comm Center. I have fallen off my horse somewhere near the Fright Zone, and I need assistance."

"Mreow, Comm Center to Adora. Do you still have the horse?" Blast it all, it had to be Catra on duty, didn't it? And she _hated_ Adora – the blue-haired teenager had made that quite clear some time ago.

Adora paused, "No, Catra, the horse bucked me and ran off. I'm out in the woods facing north toward -"

"I don't care," Catra purred into the communicator. "If you don't have the horse, you can get home on your own – and I'm telling Hordak, too." With a scream that was a cross of laughter and a large meow, Catra shut her end off.

Fear seized Adora. She'd never been out of the Fright Zone this late, and now she had to get home on her own somehow. What if she _couldn't_ get home? What if she was stuck out in the woods forever? Chakra had let her go riding alone, but she had no idea where her charge had gone – they'd never find her!

_Stop panicking, and don't cry. Hordak hates it when you cry. Hordespeople do not cry,_ she admonished herself. _You are powerful, brave, and strong. You can get home, remember your Horde training and use it!_

She inched her way up the tree with her back, her arms grasping the trunk, using her left leg as support. Any sort of pressure on her right leg meant excruciating anguish. The forest floor was full of hazards for an injured girl, including a small brook she and the horse had jumped a while back. But failure was not an option for Adora; she'd survived fights with Catra, she could survive this.

After the fifth time of falling on her face after failing to grab ahold of something to steady her balance on one leg, she decided crawling might be a better option. While not terribly comfortable on her knees, and the debris on the forest floor ripping her pantsuit some, at least she made better progress than hopping from one tree to another on one foot. She soon learned to look ahead on her path to find what obstacles lay ahead; after putting her hand on a soft patch of earth, her arm sank straight into a burrow of some underground animal, and she wound up with a mouth full of dirt.

She made it back to the brook, washed out her mouth, and took a long drink before deciding how to cross. It was now getting increasingly dark, the first quarter stage of the Etherian moon beginning to rise above the forest. At least it would be of some help getting her home.

"The sun sets in the west over Whispering Woods…the moon rises in the east above the Fright Zone. That means after the brook, I should head to the right a little, and I should see the Fright Zone after that," she thought out loud.

The brook was shallow, and not wide, so she made it to the other side with little trouble, although she did get wet, and without the sun to dry her out, she became chilled in her damp clothes. It also made everything she crawled on stick to her as well. More than once she had to stop to brush her knees and hands of the bark, dirt, and general compost that clung to her, so she could keep going. Soon enough, she saw the spires of the Fright Zone come into view, and breathed a sigh of relief. She pushed back her hair from her face, leaving dirt on her cheeks. She realized as soon as she reached one of the entrance that she was unable to, in her current state, reach the call button next to the door to ask for entrance.

She hit her comm link on her wrist again, hoping Catra's shift was over. "Adora to Comm Center, I'm at the east entrance, and I'm injured. Please assist."

"Commmm-Centerrrr to Adora, I'm coming!" Thank goodness, Mantenna! He was the most affable of Hordak's troops, and genuinely seemed nicer than Catra was to her.

Mantenna reached the door minutes later, and saw Adora sitting on the ground, filthy and soaking wet. "What happened, Adoraaaa?"

"I think I broke my leg," she said in a wavering voice, finally allowing herself to show the emotion she'd been holding back. "I can't stand on it."

Mantenna scooped her up gently. "I'll see if I can sneak you past Hordak to your room. Where's Chakra, your nursemaid?"

Adora shook her head as they started to walk. "I don't know. Chakra saw me off this afternoon as I left to go riding and I fell off the horse."

"So you did, did you?" a large voice snarled behind them, making Mantenna jump off all six of his legs into the air with a scream. He turned, shaking.

"M-m-ighty Hordak," was all he could sputter. Hordak was standing there, flanked by both Shadow Weaver, and Chakra, who looked dreadfully worried about the condition of her young ward.

"So, Adora, you thought you could skip dinner to keep playing outside, didn't you?"

Adora held out her hand. "No, my liege, I broke my leg. I radioed for help, but Catra wouldn't send anyone to help me back to the Fright Zone." Real fear lanced through her voice.

Hordak looked very displeased, and neither Mantenna nor Adora was sure at whom. "Mantenna, bring Adora to the throne room. Chakra, Shadow Weaver, with me."

Adora felt a knot growing in her stomach, and Mantenna's trembling didn't help ease her at all. They reached the throne room and Hordak ordered Mantenna to put her down. Adora sank to the floor in front of Mantenna, her broken leg in front of her.

Hordak stormed up to his throne, sat down, and pushed a button. "Catra, get to the Throne Room immediately!" he screamed.

Catra ran in within seconds, and stopped short on seeing Adora. "Y-yes, Mighty Hordak?"

Even sitting on the floor and only able to look up so high before being blinded by lights, Adora could tell Catra knew she was in trouble, but that didn't make Adora happy, even _if_ they didn't get along.

"You left Adora out there, alone, in the woods, after she contacted you!" Hordak yelled. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"B-but Hordak," Catra mewled, "she lost the horse…and -"

"SILENCE!" Hordak was seething with rage. "You are to be demoted immediately, and as for your punishment…" He smashed his fist on the right arm of his chair, and the floor beside Adora opened up, and she shoved herself sideways as Catra disappeared down the hole, yowling at the top of her lungs.

"Mantenna!" Hordak shouted next, "you tried to slip Adora past me, and pretend nothing was wrong, didn't you?"

"No, Mighty One! It was my fault! I did it! I asked him to help me!" Adora cried out.

"We'll get to you in a minute, _dear_." Hordak snarled, and Adora shrank back. She saw Chakra quiver, and she wanted nothing more right now than to be by her side instead of facing Hordak. "Answer me, _Mantenna_."

"W-w-well, I, uh, that is, uh."

"That's all I wanted to hear." He smashed his left fist down, and ended up hitting the wrong button. Adora screamed as the floor beneath her disappeared, and she began to fall down a shaft. Mantenna scrambled forward and grabbed her, using his legs as an anchor on two sides of the hole, as Chakra and Shadow Weaver raced forward as well.

Hordak snorted out a laugh as Mantenna pulled Adora up to safety and to a panel of the floor that _didn't_ open. "You have just redeemed yourself, Mantenna." He strode down to them, Adora leaning on one leg and Mantenna for support. "I'll bet you're hungry, aren't you, Adora?"

Adora looked at the floor, shamefaced, and shaking like a leaf with fright. "Yes, sir."

"How about an open-faced sandwich for dinner?"

Adora nodded, still looking at the ground.

Seconds later, she found herself sailing through the air across the room, after Hordak slapped her across the face. The last thing she remembered hearing was Chakra's scream of horror before blacking out.

When Adora awoke the next morning, she was in her bed, and had no memory of what happened beyond arriving back in the Fright Zone last night. Chakra was sitting on the bed next to her, singing softly. Adora tried to sit up, but Chakra pushed her back down. "Rest, dear, you're hurt."

"I-I broke my leg, didn't I?"

Chakra nodded, "We got you a cast though, and it set while you were asleep. You'll be in it for the rest of the summer."

It was then Adora noticed that her nanny had bruises all over her face. "Chakra, what happened to you? You got all beat up."

Chakra cringed, but waved her charge's worries away. "I fell down the stairs again. You know me."

"The clumsiest nanny on Etheria," Adora repeated Chakra's mantra. Then she looked down at her blanket woefully, and asked in a small voice, "Is Hordak very mad with me?"

Chakra closed her eyes, suppressing the urge to tell her the truth. "No, dearest, he was very concerned for you. He took you to the Infirmary himself."

"He did?" Adora looked up at Chakra, and Chakra nodded. "He really _is _wonderful, isn't he?"

Chakra's stomach lurched. "Wonderful. Yes."

Mantenna knocked on the door just then and poked his head in, looking dismal. "They found your horse, Adoraaa."

Chakra grabbed ahold of the night stand as she struggled to stand up. Her ribs, if they weren't broken, were incredibly bruised or cracked. She held out her hand to Adora and smiled sadly. "Come along, dear. Hordak will want to see you now."

Minutes later, Chakra and Adora hobbled down to the stables, where Grizzlor was standing, holding her horse's reigns. Scorpia and Catra were there as well, chatting to each other, but quickly shut up when Adora arrived, giving her furtive, _nasty_ glances.

"Good of you to join us." Hordak swept past Chakra, who visibly flinched. Adora noticed, and wanted to ask what was wrong, but she'd learned long ago to hold her tongue in front of Hordak, especially if he was about to a make an important speech.

"This horse has been a thorn in my side for some time. It is not brave or nearly as strong as any of its counterparts in these stables. Yesterday, it threw _dear_ Adora after being spooked for one stupid reason or another. I cannot abide animals that cannot follow simple commands, and I cannot allow this one to stay in the Horde stables any longer."

"You're going to set it free?" Adora asked innocently as Chakra gripped her shoulder.

"In a way, yes," Hordak nodded. "This horse does not deserve to continue receiving the comforts we have given it thus far for what did yesterday. It abandoned Adora, and thus, we shall punish it for its failure to protect a member of the Horde." His left arm changed into his power cannon, and he walked toward the horse. Adora knew now what was coming, and screamed for Hordak to stop, begging him to punish her instead. Chakra grabbed her and forced her to look away, pushed Adora into the side of her thigh, so that the little girl would not have to witness the horse's murder.

* * *

"His arm gun went off...the horse screamed once...and it was over," Adora finished in a hollow tone. She had cried bitterly through the majority of her story, as Marlena had with her, but as she finished, she felt cried-out, and numb. "It took me a long time to realize that Shadow Weaver had probably suppressed my memory with magic, and Chakra hadn't actually fallen down any stairs, but had taken my beating for me that night – had probably taken ALL my beatings for me when Hordak was angry with me. How she's still alive now, I have no idea."

"Oh my dearest," Marlena whispered as she held Adora, "my poor little girl. I knew the Horde was evil, but to do all that to you!"

Adora's voice was filled with shame, "I didn't want to unload that on anyone else. I shouldn't have said anything."

"Dear, you can't carry that kind of burden by yourself. To keep that all inside without telling anyone – I'm glad you told me now. I think, somewhere deep down, I needed to know how my little girl grew up," Marlena kissed Adora on the crown of her head. "Why don't you go wash your face and get changed and I'll stay with you until you fall asleep."

Adora felt too tired from everything that had happened that day to argue, so off she went. Minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom, still red-faced, but a bit calmer. Marlena turned down the sheets and Adora lay down on her side facing her mother. Marlena dutifully tucked her in, and then sat next to her on the bed and stroked her golden locks. Quietly, she began to sing an Earth lullaby until Adora closed her eyes at last, and fell sound asleep.

End Chapter 6


	7. Chapter 7

Dear Readers,

I'm sorry to yank your chains like this, but I'm pulling Chapter Seven for the moment. Someone brought up a very important point that goes against the grain of one of the character's personalities, and I agree whole-heartedly (and actually didn't consider until someone brought it up) that it needs changing, immediately. So this will be my place marker until I can get Chapter Seven re-written and edited again. I'm sorry once again for the delay, but I think the rewrite is necessary.

~ Darcerin, 8/10/09


End file.
